1 Quando o filho de Saul soube da morte de Abner, em Hebron, perdeu o ânimo e todo o Israel ficou consternado.

2 Ora, tinha ele a seu serviço dois chefes de bando, um chamado Baana e o outro Recab, ambos filhos de Remon de Berot, benjaminitas. {Porque Berot também fora contada entre os benjaminitas,

3 embora seus habitantes se tenham refugiado em Getaim, onde residem até hoje.}

4 Jônatas, filho de Saul, tinha também um filho paralítico dos dois pés, o qual tinha cinco anos quando chegou de Jezrael a notícia da morte de Saul e de Jônatas. Sua ama fugiu levando-o consigo, mas, na precipitação da fuga, o menino caiu e ficou manco. Chamava-se Mifiboset.

5 Os filhos de Remon de Berot partiram no maior calor do dia e foram à casa de Isboset, que estava dormindo a sesta.

6 Penetraram na casa sob o pretexto de buscar trigo e feriram-no no ventre. Recab e seu irmão Baana conseguiram entrar furtivamente

7 e, tendo penetrado na casa, onde Isboset repousava no seu leito, no quarto de dormir, feriram-no de morte e cortaram-lhe a cabeça. Tomaram-na depois consigo e andaram toda a noite pelo caminho da planície.

8 E levaram a cabeça de Isboset a Davi, em Hebron. Eis aqui, disseram-lhe, a cabeça de Isboset, filho de Saul, teu inimigo que queria matar-te. O Senhor vingou hoje o rei, meu senhor, de Saul e de sua raça.

9 Mas Davi respondeu a Recab e ao seu irmão Baana, filhos de Remon de Berot: Pela vida de Deus, que me salvou de todos os perigos!

10 O homem que me veio anunciar a morte de Saul, cuidando trazer-me uma boa notícia, tomei-o e matei-o em Siceleg, em recompensa de sua boa mensagem.

11 Quanto mais agora a homens celerados que mataram um inocente dentro de sua casa, em seu leito, não vos pedirei eu conta de seu sangue, e não vos farei desaparecer da terra?

12 Davi ordenou aos seus homens que os matassem. Cortaram-lhes as mãos e os pés e penduraram-nos junto da piscina de Hebron. A cabeça de Isboset foi recolhida e depositada no túmulo de Abner, em Hebron.

1 And when Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled. 2 And Saul’s son had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin: 3 And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.) 4 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. 5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who lay on a bed at noon. 6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night. 8 And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.

9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 10 When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings: 11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth? 12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.